IB History: First Indochina War (1946-1954) & Vietnam War (1955-1975)
"Peace with Honor"
-Pres Nixon privately viewed Vietnam as a lost cause while publicly projecting strength so he could spin overall U.S. troop withdrawal as "peace with honor" -Mythical "secret plan" to win the war in 1968 -"Linkage" idea naively assumed USSR could pressure NV to negotiate -"Vietnamization" policy was a euphemistic way to withdraw U.S. troops -Unsuccessfully threatened nuclear attack -Massive bombings did delay quicker communist victory(Easter Offensive) & compel NV to finalize autumn 1972 negotiations (Christmas bombing), but did no change ultimate course of war
Application of Domino Theory to Vietnam
-Rest of Southeast Asia would fall if Vietnam was communist -Aid to prop South Vietnam -Sent aid to Diem, who was brutal and nearly 100,00 arrested or killed
Non-Communists During Vietnam War
-South Vietnamese Army/Army of the Republic Vietnam -U.S.
North Vietnamese
fought by the 17th parallel
Consequences of Vietnam War ending
-60,000 US killed & over 1 million Vietnamese killed (trauma for survivors & family members) -With U.S. exit in 1973, communists defeated SV and united Vietnam under communist rule in 1975 -Over 1 million "boat people" refugees -Massive economic problems f or Vietnam till late 1980s -bordering countries of Laos & Cambodia became communist so domino theory somewhat correct -$170 billion cost + higher inflation contributed to horrible U.S. economy in the 70s
Kissinger's "peace terms" (Jan 1973) sold out the South Vietnamese gov because...
-American prisoners were to be released and all American forces fled Vietnam but the South Vietnamese Gov was naively left to determine their own future -North Vietnamese troops allowed to remain in South Vietnam as South Vietnam prepared for bloodshed -SV not even consulted about negotiations
Change in U.S. policy toward the Viet Minh
-Domino theory- fair of other countries falling to communism -Obsession to contain communism -U.S. sent money and arms to French during 1st Indochina War
Dien Bien Phu (1954)
-French General hoped to leur the Viet Minh in the jungle-covered hills; he was overconfident -Giap organized a strategy- soldiers camouflaged surrounded the valley and Vietnam artillery destroyed the French airstrip > so the French artillery commander commit suicide
The View of Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh through WWII
-Hated oppressive French rule of Vietnam as part of is larger Indochina colony and Japanese WWI occupation -meeting (1941)- Ho Chi Minh established the Viet Minh to fight for an independent, communist Vietnam -Committed to tightening as necessary > established local self defense militias in all villages under Vietminh control > United urban nationalists peasants -Ho declared independent govt in Sept, 1945
Long Term Consequences of Vietnam War Ending
-Health problems for veterans: PTSD, homelessness, Agent Orange -Vietnam Syndrome: U.S. afraid of casualties/long wars -Not "cured" until the 1991 Persian Gulf War -U.S. embargo against Vietnam until 1995 since which trade had grown significantly
The View of Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh after WWII
-In 1946, Ho led a small group of soldiers against the more powerful French -Ho gradually building peasant support and patiently conducting guerilla warfare, Ho's government drove at the French and later the V.S. U.S. policy, based on its Cold War mindset Instead of supporting Ho, an ally versus Japan in WWII, favored French capitalism over Ho's communism -Knowing nothing about Vietnam, Truman gave France $120 million to defeat the Vietminh but the opposite happened at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 -fear of domino theory being new & containment of communism at all costs led to escalating involvement in Vietnam
Communists During Vietnam War
-North Vietnamese Army/ People's Army of vietnam -Viet Cong/ Charlie/ People's Liberation Armed Forces -Viet Cong were approximately 100,000 communist troops left in hideouts in South Vietnam after the Geneva Conference -The VC, supported & later directed by NV, drew rapidly and conducted guerilla warfare particularly after 1965
Temporary division @ 17th parallel
-North occupied by Vietnam (North Vietnamese communists) -Govt occupied by non-communists -Election planned to take place in 2 years to unify the country -However, the U.S. prepared this election because it knew Ho would win in a landslide (over 70%)... and increased involvement in South Vietnam -1955- U.S. sent advisors to SV -1959- NV increased actions to unify North and South -To prevent a NV victory, Eisenhower sent hundreds of Green Berets to train SV -the 1st U.S. casualty of war occurred by '63, USSR increased # of military advisors to 16,000
Ho developed Viet Minh
-Oppose Japanese occupation & fight for independence -Ho was convinced he would gain support from Roosevelt
Why the U.S. and South Vietnam Lost
-While the VS mobilized peasants and initiated land reform, undemocratic leaders such as general Thieu, dictator from late 60s and '75, were hated by many -Overwhelming U.S. military power proved ineffective in mostly guerilla war -Blowing up as much as possible further alienated Vietnamese people -No main VC area to target -Inefficient defense such as a massive effort to repel the '68 NV siege of U.S. Khe Sanh base... yet U.S. then abandoned & destroyed this base... 2 months later -U.S. army switched from ineffective limited "enclave strategy" to pres. Johnson's ineffective large scale troop deployment (about 500,000 soldiers) -Constant rotation of inexperienced, temporary troops, so lacked cohesion -Inefficient offense such as in '6: "Operation Cedar Falls" sent tens of thousands of troops to destroy a VC area but they merely killed hundreds & dislocated villages -U.S. "pacification" goal secondary to getting VC (sweeping searches and bombings which destroyed village bee fields) -Desire to expel latest foreigners (U.S.) greater than opposition to communism (& grew after U.S. March, 1968 My Lai Massacre of civilians) -Low U.S. morale & public found out U.S. was losing -Tet Offensive
Viet Cong
-created to gain support in the South -Fought in the South Vietnam
Geneva Conference Accords (1954)
-intended to settle outstanding issues resulting from the Korean War and the First Indochina War -1954: France out of Vietnam War so the U.S. wanted democracy called for by the Accords -Called for Vietnam to be divided at the 17th parallel -National elections would be held in 2 years so the Vietnamese could elect the leader -Marked an end to Indochina War but did not end underlying issue of Vietnamese division
French Weaknesses during First Indochina War
-never completely secured pacification -French casualties were very high -The French soldiers wanted to give up -Indifference at the homefront -Americans were losing support at backing the French -100,000 casualties and failed to pacify the country -6 commander came and left
Vietnam Strengths during First Indochina War
-quick to learn -sense of responsibility to fight -Those who had swords or rifles were called to use them -Mao agreed to provide Ho w/ arms and training USSR recognized communism in Vietnam
Tet Offensive (1968)
A massive, coordinated Communist assault against more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. -elated to the Vietnam War being limited war for the U.S. because such immense opposition to the war by the American public existed already and the Tet Offensive was further proof that the U.S. was heavily involved in Vietnam. -As a result, American morale decreased and the idea portrayed by the U.S. government was that Vietnam War was limited and it was proved to be not 100% true. The public could now assume that the war would not end soon.
Le Duan's 2-Phase Plan
Decisive battles & attack on cities > Promote revolts
National Liberation Front (NLF)
Ho Chi Minh wanted to unite Vietnam under Northern rule and aided what group of communist rebels trying to overthrow Diem in the south. Official title of the Viet Cong. Created in 1960, they lead an uprising against Diem's repressive regime in the South.
Le Duan's elimination of opposition
Party leaders labelled as revisionists were arrested, demoted, or sent to re-education camps
Ho Chi Minh Trail
key Western supply line from North Vietnam down to the Viet Cong that was impossible for the U.S. to eliminate -there was no large scale attack until 1968 because U.S. bombing and hundreds of thousands of troops delayed implementation as North Vietnamese troops gradually traveled South along the Ho Chi Minh trail to enlarge the VietCong
